THE OTHER MOTHER and NEVER FORGET are two Michel Bussi novels that I'd somehow managed to miss reading, until I was reminded recently. Luckily the library had copies of both of them, so that gap, at least, has now been closed.
THE OTHER MOTHER is a very different undertaking from his other books read thus far (BLACK WATER LILIES, AFTER THE CRASH and DON'T LET GO) in that still a thriller in style, the format and approach of this one is very different, and it did take quite a while to get into the flow.
When four year old Malone starts claiming that his mother isn't his real mother, his school psychologist believes him. Despite a lot of evidence to the contrary, provided by his Malone's very annoyed parents, the psychologist persists. Meanwhile police have been trying to find survivors from a heist gone wrong, that left a lot of dead bodies in its wake. I, like many readers, will probably pick where this is going fairly early on, although just how it gets there is quite the ride.
What it turns into along the way is an exploration of family, relationships, loyalty, and the reliability of memory and longing, although this reader could have done without the male opinions on women who succeed "in a man's world" (frankly if the current world is theirs, they've got some explaining to do), but I digress.
The point of Bussi's writing seems to be to surprise, and the structure of this one, in particular did surprise. A lot. If you're new to this writer's work I'd probably suggest starting with one of the three mentioned above - this one involved a bit of heavy lifting and a trust in the author from past experience.
The Other Mother
Malone, a child of four, starts to claim that his mother isn't his real mother. It seems impossible. The school psychologist is the only one who believes him and he's in a race against time to find out the truth . . .
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